Strip for staining bacteria

ABSTRACT

A PROCESS OF STAINING BACTERIA FIXED ON A SLIDE AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT THE PROCESS. THE DEVICE IS MADE OUT OF A NON-ABSORBENT MATERIAL SUPPORTING AN ABSORBENT MATERIAL WHICH HAS BEEN TREATED WITH STAIN AND THEN DRIED. TO STIN THE BACTERIA, EITHER A DROP OF SOLVENT IS PLACED ON THE SLIDE OR SOLVENT IS DROPPED THROUGH A HOLE OR HOLES IN THE NON-ABSORBENT MATERIAL,. THE SOLVENT REDISSOLVES THE STAIN WHICH IS THEN CARRIED DOWN ONTO THE BACTERIA. THE STAIN IS KEPT ON THE BACTERIA FOR AS LONG AS IS NECESSARY TO COMPLETE STAINING. THE STRUCTURE DOES NOT DRY OUT DURING STAINING BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF THE WATER-IMPERVIOUS MATERIAL.

tInited States Patent 3,ss4,871 STRIP FoR STAoIING BACTERIA Anfhony ff.Loffoofo, ffIfo, 1 o., oSSfgnof fo AIneffcon sferiHzef coInpaoy, Efio,1,., o oofpofoffoo of 1 eno sylvoofa Coonooffon-fn-poff of appHcafionsof. No. S34,78o,

Maf. 1o, 19oo. Thfs appHooffon May 16, 19o9, Sef.

No. 8Z5,379

Inf. CL C1zk 1/Z0 U.S. CL 19s1Z7 1 cloim ABSTRACT oE THE DISCLoSURE ApfoceSS of Staining bactefia xed on a Sl ide and de vice fof Caffyingoot the pTocess. The device iS made out of a non-absofbent Inatefia1suppofting an abSorbont nlateTial which has been treated With stain andthon dried. To Stain the bactefia, eiffler a drop of solvent iS placedon the SHde of Solvent iS dfopped thToogh a hole of holeS in thenon-absoTbent ITlateTial. The solvent TediSSolveS the stain 'vvhich isthen carried down onto the bacteria. The Stain iS ke t on ffle bacteffafor as long aS is neceSSary to coInplete stoining. The stTuctuTe doeSnot dTy out doring Staining becauSe of the pfeSence of the watef-onpefvious TnatefiaL CROSS-REFERENCE To RELATED APPLICATION This applicationiS a continuationinpaft of patent application, SeT. No. 34 786, filedMaf. 16, 1966, and now abandoned.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION This invention felateS to n1atefialS fofbiologica1 1abofa tofy pfocouToS and, Inofe pafticolarly, to stripS folStaining bacteTia in o1icfoScopic Wofk and the like.

one of the IneSSieSt pfocedufes in biologica1 1aboTa toTies iS thestaining of bactefia on glaSS slides. This pfoce dufe uSuaHy fesults instained handS, clothes, counteTS, and oofS Inffequent uSe of Stainbottles and Stock dye Solution leads to evaporation of solventS, such aswateT, and fesults in SottHng of the Stain. ThiS leadS to an impfopefstaining Solution.

The pfesent invention pfovideS a papef Stfip contain ing the propefaII1oont of dTied stain foT use in slide Staining.

The device disdoSed hefoin pfovideS a meanS wheTeby Stain for Stainingis appHed to a watef absofbent type of Inatefial and dried, leavingmateTial impregnated with stain and attached to one side of a nonWatefabsorbent holding device. A hole of holes aTe foTIned in tho nonabsofbent holding device on the oppoSite side of the holding device towhich the stained Inaterial iS attached. Thus, the abSoTbent InateTialis exposed and a dTop of Solvent Which may be vvater is a11OWed to paSsthrongh the hole of holeS and thos applied to the suTface of the holdingdevice. when the absofbent matefial with dffed Stain theTe in comeS incontact With the Solvent, the solvent Win be unifoTInly distfibotedthTo11ghout the InateTia1. The stain Win disSolve in Watef and llponfeaching the saturation P ce oint, a li Ilid containing the stain WiH beTeleasod to the SuTface of slide upon Which the stained nlaterialTeSting.

REFERENCE To PRIOR ART PfeVious typical Staining procedufes in commonuSe are deScribed in the Manual of Micfobiological MethodS, McGfaW-HinBook Co. Inc., New York, N.Y. (197).

0BIECTS oF THE INVENTION It is, accofdingly, an obiect of the inventionto pfovide an impfoved device foT Staining bactefia.

Another obiect of the invention is to Tovide an im pfoved o1ethod ofstaining bacteTia on SHdes.

Yet anothef object of the invention iS to pfovide an ab Sofbent sheet ofInateTial having dfied Stain impfegnated thefein SI1ppofted on a holdingsheet of nonwateT abSofb ent InateriaL GENERAL DESCRIPTION oF DRAvvINGSFIG. 1 is a to vfew of the device accofding to the invention.

FIG. Z is an fSoIneffic view of the device shown in combination With theSHde. FIG. 3 is a bottom vievv of the device accofding to the 1nvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAvVINGS Now With mofe pafticular Teferenceto the dfawing, Stain device 10 iS shoWn Which may be made of aInatefia1 in1pefviouS fo water of non-vvateT abSorbent and, fof example,approximately oneSixteenth inch thick. The holding nlatefial 10 is Inadeof a Sheet of non-vvatef abSoTbent InateTial that haS a hole 11 therein.The Watef absorbent mateTial 1Z iS attached to the holding mateTial andthe stained mateTial iS expoSed through the hole and indicated at 11.Stained nlatefial nlay be Suppofted on an absofbent paper. A handle 13may be made integral with the holding nlaterial lo, and the nlateTial lZmay be, for exam le, of the ofdef of 0.2 inch thick. The device 1" iSShown dis poSed on a Slide 15 With bactefia 1o on if. The SHde may bepfepared in a conventional vvay diSclosed in tho pubHca tion Tefeffed toin fhe Statement of prioT aft hefein.

In carfying out the invention, the strip Inay be nlade as foHows=Example 1 Placing a drop of stain containing the pTopef concen tfationof dye on a stTip of paper and evaporating the vvatef. A depoSit of dyeiS left on the papeT. To USe, a dmp of Watef iS laced on a SHdecontaining the Hxed bactefia and the papef stTip containing the dye SpotiS placed face down on the dTop of Water. The dye diSSolves and StainSthe bacteTia.

EXample II A Sfnall an1ount of gloe iS added to the end sorface of apapef st1ip. A Staining dye (powdered foTm) iS Spfinkled on the gluedsufface. (Same procedure used for staining bacteTia on glaSS aS inEXample I).

Example III The stain powdef is mixed With a Water soluble vehicle, Withthe viScoSity of peffoleum ieny and capable of hard ening when aird1'ied. ThiS iS then appHed to a papeT Hke surface b S uee in foHowed bair dT i11 to harden, (same proceduTe uSed fo1 Staining bacteria onglaSS aS in Example I.)

The foTegoing methods wiH eHminate the meSSy problemS in providing stainStrips.

Exam les of stainS Which are in common Usa e are aS foHows: Meth leneBlue, CaTbofuchsin, Malachite Green, Meth l Red, Cr stal violet, GentianViolet, AniHne Blue and SafTanine.

Exam les of common solvents are: vater, alcohoL acetone, Xylene, phenoland forn1aldehyde.

The embodimentS of the invention in which an exdu- Sive fo eTt or pTiVHee is claimed is denned aS foHows:

1. A device foT stainin bacteria nxed on a Inicrosco e sHdo com risin adr vvatef absoTbent stri havin a dried bacteTial stain im Te natedtherein and a la er of water iInpeTViouS materia1 With a hole theTeinattached to and coverin one Surface of said Stf Said im ervious Inateialhaving a lateTany extending poItion dening a handle.

Refetences Cifed UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES ManUal ofMicrobiologicaI Methods, McGfaW-Hin Book Co. In New York, p. 21 (19S7).

ALVIN E. TANENHoLT Primar Examiner U.S. CL X.R. 19103.5

